FREE UNIVERSITY FRANKFURT presents a new project:
Cosmic Monopoly
What if you were able to design, clone and produce virtually any object that could be used by anyone, anywhere, even if you had no educational background, craftsmanship skills or industry infrastructure? What would be the impact on our society and global economics?
This extraordinary project is initiated by Robert Croker, management instructor and author of the book, "Quantum Matrix."
Cosmic Monopoly takes students to the ultimate source of the forces that will change EVERYTHING, as manifested in four converging fields of technology:
1. Telerobotics:
3-D printers are now enabling people to design and sell their products
at service providers such as www.shapeways.com. Miniature drones (micro air vehicles or MAVs) are now used for a variety of military and commercial applications. This rapidly emerging technology will inevitably expand the reach of governments, corporations and individuals to reshape the 21st century. How will this affect us as individuals and as societies?
2. Location Intelligence:
We're all familiar with Google Earth and GPS apps on our smart phones. Location Intelligence is infinitely more sophisticated, using a variety of data sources including aerial maps, geographic information systems (GIS), consumer demographics and individual consumer data mining to geographically 'map' information for commercial use. How vulnerable are we to the expansion of this technology? What, if any, are its limits?
3. The Cloud:
In mundane terms, think of the Cloud as a giant collective 'brain' comprised of millions of servers storing information, software, data, social media and intelligence that is accessible and exploitable from anywhere to any digital device, from super computers to mobile phones. Today, more people are informing themselves via Cloud-based social media than by mainstream newscasting. What the Cloud represents for the future of data gathering and storage, the expansion of the individual and collective human brain, scientific and medical advancement, and spreading of information to the general public is one of the most compelling questions of our age.
4. Machine Vision / Artificial Intelligence:
We are now deluged by cameras, sensors and radio waves that filter incoming information that is interpreted via Artificial Intelligence to enable us to recognize patterns in traffic flows or a face in a security system. Can the evolution of this technology lead to machine consciousness?
As the world is becoming more mutually interdependent and complex, the way we understand and deal with the convergence of these new technologies will define our future as a civilization and perhaps even as a species.
Why participate in this project?
Because if you think this isn't about you, you're wrong! This will affect everyone.
Regardless of your background, educational specialty or field of interest, you can make an invaluable contribution to this project, as these convergent new technologies are directly or indirectly influencing a vast spectrum of subjects:
Law: Researching and analyzing the impacts of convergence on ownership, patents and copyrights.
Psychology: How is convergence influencing memory, intelligence, emotions and perception?
Business/Management: How can business exploit machine evolution and leverage this technology for maximum benefit?
Art: Producing and reproducing artworks via new technology such as 3-D printers.
Philosophy: How will human beings be redefined in light of bioprinters? What ethical challenges will we face?
These are but a few examples of the virtually limitless questions and challenges we will explore in this project.
How does the project work?
The Update: Following a general introduction by the initiator, teams are formed to research, write and present 15-minute reports to address the current state of each of the four convergent technologies:
What are the existing applications?
Who is producing them?
What can and cannot be done with them?
Additional information in the form of photocopies, handouts and web links will assist the teams in preparing their reports. After the presentation of each report, a brief open discussion will take place, covering such questions as:
What is the effect of convergence on education?
What is the impact of 3-D printers on intellectual property law?
Can technological evolution lead to machine consciousness?
How will human beings be redefined in light of this emerging technology?
Following the update the sky is the limit:
This is where the fun begins as we depart from conventional university research paradigms and build on the creative learning dynamic to transform passive knowledge into active creativity. Now the participants themselves take control of the study, at which point anything can happen, depending on what they collectively discover and what they decide to do with it. This could include creating new apps, creating and marketing 3-D printed artworks, producing films, and starting new businesses based on leveraging machine evolution. The potential results of this symbiotic research experience are virtually limitless.
Status of the project
We are currently seeking participants. ALL backgrounds, ALL locations, ALL ages welcome. You will reap the benefits of working as part of a dynamic group and you just might help to reshape the world you live in.
Want to know more? You are most welcome. Please contact FUFF by using the contact information located under 'contact' at the top of the page.
Cosmic Monopoly
What if you were able to design, clone and produce virtually any object that could be used by anyone, anywhere, even if you had no educational background, craftsmanship skills or industry infrastructure? What would be the impact on our society and global economics?
This extraordinary project is initiated by Robert Croker, management instructor and author of the book, "Quantum Matrix."
Cosmic Monopoly takes students to the ultimate source of the forces that will change EVERYTHING, as manifested in four converging fields of technology:
1. Telerobotics:
3-D printers are now enabling people to design and sell their products
at service providers such as www.shapeways.com. Miniature drones (micro air vehicles or MAVs) are now used for a variety of military and commercial applications. This rapidly emerging technology will inevitably expand the reach of governments, corporations and individuals to reshape the 21st century. How will this affect us as individuals and as societies?
2. Location Intelligence:
We're all familiar with Google Earth and GPS apps on our smart phones. Location Intelligence is infinitely more sophisticated, using a variety of data sources including aerial maps, geographic information systems (GIS), consumer demographics and individual consumer data mining to geographically 'map' information for commercial use. How vulnerable are we to the expansion of this technology? What, if any, are its limits?
3. The Cloud:
In mundane terms, think of the Cloud as a giant collective 'brain' comprised of millions of servers storing information, software, data, social media and intelligence that is accessible and exploitable from anywhere to any digital device, from super computers to mobile phones. Today, more people are informing themselves via Cloud-based social media than by mainstream newscasting. What the Cloud represents for the future of data gathering and storage, the expansion of the individual and collective human brain, scientific and medical advancement, and spreading of information to the general public is one of the most compelling questions of our age.
4. Machine Vision / Artificial Intelligence:
We are now deluged by cameras, sensors and radio waves that filter incoming information that is interpreted via Artificial Intelligence to enable us to recognize patterns in traffic flows or a face in a security system. Can the evolution of this technology lead to machine consciousness?
As the world is becoming more mutually interdependent and complex, the way we understand and deal with the convergence of these new technologies will define our future as a civilization and perhaps even as a species.
Why participate in this project?
Because if you think this isn't about you, you're wrong! This will affect everyone.
Regardless of your background, educational specialty or field of interest, you can make an invaluable contribution to this project, as these convergent new technologies are directly or indirectly influencing a vast spectrum of subjects:
Law: Researching and analyzing the impacts of convergence on ownership, patents and copyrights.
Psychology: How is convergence influencing memory, intelligence, emotions and perception?
Business/Management: How can business exploit machine evolution and leverage this technology for maximum benefit?
Art: Producing and reproducing artworks via new technology such as 3-D printers.
Philosophy: How will human beings be redefined in light of bioprinters? What ethical challenges will we face?
These are but a few examples of the virtually limitless questions and challenges we will explore in this project.
How does the project work?
The Update: Following a general introduction by the initiator, teams are formed to research, write and present 15-minute reports to address the current state of each of the four convergent technologies:
Additional information in the form of photocopies, handouts and web links will assist the teams in preparing their reports. After the presentation of each report, a brief open discussion will take place, covering such questions as:
Following the update the sky is the limit:
This is where the fun begins as we depart from conventional university research paradigms and build on the creative learning dynamic to transform passive knowledge into active creativity. Now the participants themselves take control of the study, at which point anything can happen, depending on what they collectively discover and what they decide to do with it. This could include creating new apps, creating and marketing 3-D printed artworks, producing films, and starting new businesses based on leveraging machine evolution. The potential results of this symbiotic research experience are virtually limitless.
Status of the project
We are currently seeking participants. ALL backgrounds, ALL locations, ALL ages welcome. You will reap the benefits of working as part of a dynamic group and you just might help to reshape the world you live in.
Want to know more? You are most welcome. Please contact FUFF by using the contact information located under 'contact' at the top of the page.